Author: Dutchy
Date: 2007-07-10 23:08
I will add to Vboboe's very good post that you can't trim oboe reeds in order to get a bit more use out of them when they start to wear out, unlike the way you can take a pair of manicure scissors to a clarinet reed and thus eke out a little more play-time. An oboe reed is carefully balanced--sculpted, almost--throughout the whole inch or so of the reed, and if you cut off the tip with a pair of manicure scissors, you ruin the reed, and frequently it won't even sound after that, let alone sound good.
All oboists have a running collection of an assortment of reeds in The Reed Box, at different stages of breaking-in and playability, even of different tones. For example, right at the moment I have [...thinks] two Fox Artist reeds, a Margaret Cassell, a Tabbytoes, and 4 reeds that CJWright here at this board sent me because he felt sorry for me (long story). CJ's reeds are well broken in, so I use them when I'm tired, and also they have a softer tone than Tabbytoes, so I play on the Tabbytoes when I'm feeling vigorous and loud.
So what I'm saying is that your son can't get by on just "A reed", he's going to need a whole box full of them eventually.
Also, I hope he understands that you never just toss the reed, loose, into the oboe case when you're done, or leave it rolling around on the dining room table--as expensive and delicate as they are, they demand special treatment. Put them away in a special protected place, somewhere. I keep mine in an old pencil case on the top of my dresser.
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